DE 10 2008 041 866 B3 describes a method for checking a brake of a robot, having the following steps: operation of a robot having a plurality of spindles, wherein the robot has a drive allocated to one of the spindles of the plurality of spindles, a brake allocated to this spindle, which is equipped for at least reducing a movement of this spindle, and a torque sensor allocated to this spindle that is equipped for determining the torque acting on this spindle; activation of the brake; determination of the torque acting on the spindle by means of the torque sensor with the brake activated, and assessment of the functionality of the brake on the basis of an analysis of the torque determined by the torque sensor.
EP 1 239 354 B1 describes a method for controlling and monitoring a brake mechanism with a nominal torque, which mechanism is allocated to a drive unit of an item of a piece of industrial equipment such as a handling device, wherein a holding current corresponding to a holding torque of the drive unit with the brake mechanism released (open) is measured and stored, and wherein the drive unit with the brake mechanism engaged (closed) is subjected to a spindle-specific current value, which subjects the brake mechanism to a torque that is equal to or less than the nominal torque of the brake mechanism, and the drive is simultaneously monitored for standstill.
EP 0 924 583 A2 describes a method for checking motor brakes for electric motors, in particular of robots, wherein the electric motor is coupled to a mechanical motor brake, characterized in that the mechanical brake to be checked is activated, thereby preventing the rotor of the electric motor from turning, that the defined startup current fed to the motor or the startup voltage applied to the motor is briefly altered, that a first value of at least one of the motor parameters changing as a result is determined, that this first value is compared to a second value of the motor parameter, which was determined for the same startup current or the same startup voltage but with the mechanical brake not activated, and that a failure of the mechanical brake is detected on the basis of the difference between the first value and the second value of the motor parameter.